San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Ex-Cowboys receiver Richards dies at 73
MURRAY, Utah — Golden Richards, the former Dallas Cowboys receiver known for his flowing blond hair who famously caught a touchdown pass off a gadget play in the 1978 Super Bowl, died Friday of congestive heart failure at his home in Murray. He was 73.
Richards' nephew, Lance Richards, confirmed the death in a Facebook post.
“My uncle Golden passed away peacefully this morning,” Lance Richards wrote. “I will forever remember going hunting and talking Dallas Cowboy football. He was a kind and sweet soul and I'm so happy he's not suffering anymore.”
The former BYU star was taken 46th overall by the Cowboys in the 1973 NFL draft and spent seven seasons in the NFL with Dallas, Chicago and Denver. He is best known for his five-plus seasons as a deep-play threat with the Cowboys. He twice averaged more than 21 yards per catch, finishing his time in Dallas with an 18.3 career mark.
That was especially evident in the 1978 Super Bowl against Denver. With the Cowboys ahead 20-10 in the fourth quarter, fullback Robert Newhouse threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Richards, who got behind the defense to all but assure the Cowboys of their second championship.
Richards finished his career with 122 receptions for 2,136 yards and 17 TDs before injuries prompted him to retire in 1980.
A Salt Lake City native, he starred at Granite High School, then at nearby BYU, where he was a receiver and punt returner, leading the nation as a junior with four returns for TDs.
Richards played his final college season at Hawaii, catching 23 passes for 414 yards and five touchdowns. That caught the eye of the Cowboys, who drafted him in the second round in 1973.
The Deseret News said Richards struggled with health problems and drug addiction after retiring, but was sober over his final 10 years.
“Seven or eight years of wear and tear on the football field for a 175-pound wide receiver who was concussed several times, too,” brother Doug Richards, a former BYU basketball player, told the newspaper. “That obviously took its toll.”
Richards was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2011 and lived with adult sons Goldie Jr. and Jordan in his later years. Doug Richards said his brother broke his hip on Christmas in 2022 and had four hip surgeries.
“He has left us and gone to a better place,” Doug Richards said. “He fought pretty good there to the end, until it was his time.”
Texas ex McMichael released from hospital
Chicago Bears great Steve McMichael, who is battling ALS, is back home after spending more than a week in the hospital with several ailments, publicist Betsy Shepherd said Friday.
The 66-year-old McMichael, a Texas ex who went public with an ALS diagnosis three years ago, was admitted into intensive care at a suburban hospital on Feb. 15 with a urinary tract infection. He was hospitalized one week after being voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
McMichael was also treated for pneumonia and MRSA — a staph infection that can be difficult to treat because it is resistant to certain antibiotics — during his stay, Shepherd said. He will have around-the-clock nursing care at home and receive IV antibiotics to treat his infections.
“The outpouring of love, support and prayers have helped Steve get through this latest battle,” Shepherd said in a statement. “All he wanted was to get home to (wife) Misty and (daughter) Macy where he feels most comfortable.”
McMichael, who was also voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010, controlled the interior of the line for the Bears' famed “46 defense” in Chicago. He was an All-Pro during the 1985 Super Bowl championship season and in 1987. He played in a franchiserecord 191 consecutive games from 1981-1993 and ranks second to Hall of Famer Richard Dent on the Bears' career list with 92⁄2 1 sacks. His final season was with Green Bay in 1994, but McMichael remained a prominent presence in Chicago long after his playing days ended, discussing the Bears on sports talk radio. He also spent five years in professional wrestling in the late 1990s.
Rams, veteran WR Robinson reach deal
Receiver Demarcus Robinson has agreed to terms on a oneyear, $5 million contract to return to the Los Angeles Rams, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.
Initially signed last June as veteran depth, Robinson got almost no offensive playing time for the Rams in the first 11 weeks of the regular season. He eventually became an important target for Matthew Stafford down the stretch while Los Angeles finished 10-7 and earned a playoff berth.
Despite not making his first catch of the season until Nov. 5, Robinson finished with 26 receptions for 371 yards. He also had four touchdowns, scoring in four consecutive games in December.
Robinson spent his first six NFL seasons with Kansas City, winning a Super Bowl ring after the 2019 season, and played for Baltimore in 202.
Steelers cut ties with veteran lineman Cole
The Pittsburgh Steelers released veteran center Mason
Cole on Friday, creating nearly $5 million in salary cap space.
Cole had one year left on the three-year, $15.75 million deal he signed in spring of 2022. He had issues snapping in shotgun formation and clearly would have cost more than the Steelers were willing to pay him in 2024. Now they will head into free agency and the NFL draft looking for a starter at the position.
Cole started all 34 regularseason games for Pittsburgh over the last two seasons, as well as the team's wild-card game in 2023.